Stephen M. Wilson KC

Managing Partner, Stephen Wilson KC, was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1990 and practised successfully from chambers in London for 11 years before moving to the Turks and Caicos Islands (‘TCI’) in 2001.

At the London Bar, he had a general civil and commercial practice, specialising in employment law, and developed a reputation as a fearsome cross-examiner with a voracious appetite for work.

In 2012, Stephen was asked to open the new Turks and Caicos Islands office of the long-established and highly regarded Bahamian law firm of GrahamThompson, the firm’s first office outside the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. For 11 years, he was a partner and head of that firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group in the TCI.

Stephen was appointed one of His Majesty’s Counsel, Learned in the Law (King’s Counsel), in 2013 and has served as a Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands Integrity Commission since 2020.

Stephen has appeared in many of the TCI’s headline cases involving disputes in the tourism and hospitality, banking, real estate, insurance, and construction/building sectors. He has a broad range of experience dealing with matters in the Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Employment and Labour, Insurance, Intellectual Property, and Property and Development sectors.

Stephen’s Corporate and Commercial dispute resolution work has included complex corporate and commercial disputes comprising multi-jurisdictional claims, multi-party actions, international and domestic arbitrations, liquidations involving local and international parties, shareholder disputes, and corporate reorganisations and restructurings. He is also a leading lawyer in intellectual property litigation in the TCI.

Stephen is recognised by the prestigious London-based Chambers and Partners directory as a top-ranked attorney in the Chambers Global, General Business Law – Dispute Resolution sector. He holds the distinction of a Band 1 ranking, which is the highest individual ranking, and has done so for the past 11 years. He has also been recognised by Chambers Global with their rankings for “Foreign Expertise” and “Expertise Based Abroad” for his work in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Born in Liverpool, Stephen is a die-hard Liverpool F.C. fan, a passion that he shares with partner Christopher Wells. He also loves travelling and experiencing new foods and cultures.

Chambers Review: Stephen Wilson KC is a “very tenacious” litigator and well liked by clients. His litigation experience spans a variety of areas, including financial services, property, and employment disputes. Peers rate him as a “good advocate,” stating that “he’s very bright and knows his stuff.”

Recent engagements include:

• Representing a Bahamian company that successfully obtained an order for the winding-up of a TCI company that is the majority shareholder of a Haitian company that owns the largest privately held commercial port in Haiti. This complex private international law dispute involves aspects of Bahamian and TCI law, as well as Haitian Civil Code, which is based on the Napoleonic Code used in France.
• Advising and representing equitable receivers appointed by the High Court of England & Wales in tandem with a team of English solicitors and barristers as part of enforcement proceedings to collect a judgment debt of over $300 million made in favour of an international bank against an ultra-high-net-worth individual, his TCI company, and others.
• Leading counsel for the liquidator and major creditors of a collapsed SMART Fund in proceedings before the Supreme Court of The Bahamas against the Fund’s administrator (a well-known international bank) and nominee directors and officers.
• Advising the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board in connection with its winding-down and transition to a new Destination Management and Marketing Organisation.
• Counsel to the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority in connection with various matters.
• Representing one of the TCI’s leading resort development and management groups in judicial review proceedings challenging the grant of outline development permission for a new luxury condominium development and resort.
• Advising and representing one of the TCI’s largest homeowners’ associations in connection with the enforcement of restrictive covenants against a property owner.
• Advising developers and operators of major hotels and resorts in Providenciales and representing them in commercial and labour disputes.
• Advising the Canadian receivers of a bankrupt in connection with recovery of assets located in the TCI.
• Representing a Turks and Caicos Islander in proceedings brought by the Attorney General of the TCI in connection with the purchase and sale of Crown land.
• Leading counsel for the victim of an investment scam, and successfully recovering the majority of her losses after forcing the sale of property indirectly held by the defendant investment adviser.